BANGLADESH TOUR OF SRI LANKA, 2025
”The morale has been excellent from the start.” © BCB
Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons said on Tuesday (June 24) that they are confident going into the second Test against Sri Lanka after performing well in the series opener – a rarity in their recent past.
Bangladesh had drawn the two-match Test series with West Indies in their own backyard in November 2024 after losing the opening game and had a similar outcome against Zimbabwe in April 2025 when they hosted them for a two-match Test series.
”There’s a lot of confidence from the way we played. Often, we’re a bit slow to start in the first Test of a series, but this time, we hit the ground running. That gives us a lot of belief going into the second Test,” Simmons told reporters ahead of the second Test in Colombo.
”The morale has been excellent from the start. The guys did their work in Dhaka so that we could hit the ground running here. The draw in Galle was a solid result, and we’ve recovered well in the three days since. Spirits are high.
“It looks like a good wicket so far. I haven’t seen it today, but from what we saw yesterday, it looked decent. Tomorrow, we’ll come in and look to play as hard as we did in Galle. There are a few little things we want to improve on, and it’s important that we either maintain or elevate the level we showed in the first Test.
“The players are doing well. Playing good cricket lifts the mood, and we’ve had a decent break between Tests. They’re mentally strong and physically ready. We’re up for the challenge.”
Simmons noted that Bangladesh is yet to take decision whether they will go with three spinners or three seamers in Colombo with Mehidy Hasan Miraz all set to make a return in the second Test after sitting out of the opening game due to fever. If Bangladesh opt for two spinners, Nayeem Hasan – who picked a fifer in the opening Test – is likely to pave way for the experienced Mehidy as he is also known for contributing with the bat.
”That decision will be made later today, depending on what we see in the pitch. We’ve just arrived at the ground, so we need to assess the conditions first before deciding on team balance-whether we go with three seamers or three spinners,” said Simmons.
”That’s the hard part. Nayeem had a wonderful game in Galle, so leaving him out would be tough. But everyone understands that selection depends on conditions and what’s best for the team. We always try to ensure everyone’s on the same page when these decisions are made,” he said.
Dhananjaya de Silva wants batters to take responsibility
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva said that he is expecting a high-scoring contest in Colombo and urges his batter to take responsibility as he feels they can put pressure on the opposition only when they post a healthy total on the board in their first innings.
“We always talk about big first-innings runs. If we can post a strong total, the pressure shifts to the opposition and then it’s about taking 20 wickets to win the match,” said Dhananjaya. “It’s going to be a batting wicket. Normally, these kinds of wickets tend to take turn in the last couple of days. There might be a little bit of spin towards the end of the Test,” he said.
© Cricbuzz
